The opposition is irresponsible and the President uninformed, thinks the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković commented on Thursday evening on opposition’s announcement they would file a motion of no confidence against the government due to latest revelations about Agrokor, saying it was a demonstration of irresponsibility in the Parliament by those who wanted to destabilize the process of restructuring Agrokor, reports 24sata.hr on October 27, 2017.
“The opposition today obstructed the work of the Parliament. They have already filed different motions against several ministers, and now they want to do it against the entire government. They would obviously prefer to have Agrokor, the company which has the largest influence on the Croatian economy and the financial system, go bankrupt. They want to destabilise the process, and they are not thinking about jobs, financial stability, the political status of the county. They can try to do this, but they will not succeed,” said Plenković, adding that it was pathetic and irresponsible.
Plenković also stressed the importance of the so-called Lex Agrokor, which allegedly saved Croatia from an economic and financial tsunami. “We have saved Agrokor, suppliers, small family farms and the entire financial system. Otherwise, we would not have the tourist season with 100 million overnight stays, 17 million tourists, 11 billion euros in tourism revenues,” said Plenković.
Commenting on the opposition’s criticism of Ante Ramljak, the government-appointed commissioner of Agrokor, due to the loan contract he signed with a US investment fund, Plenković noted that Ramljak “negotiated with many creditors when reaching the loan agreement in June. You should keep in mind that he conducted these negotiations at the time when we had two rounds of local elections, and we were in negotiations about a new parliamentary majority. Those who are giving money also seek certain guarantees, but no contract can derogate any authority of the government, and I see nothing controversial there,” said Plenković, adding that everything had been done to avoid any possibility that Croatian taxpayers would have to cover Agrokor’s debts.
Asked what he thought about President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović’s statement, who earlier said she did not know about the loan contract and that the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry on Agrokor should continue despite the official criminal investigation which is expected to be launched soon, the Prime Minister said he thought the president was not well-informed about the dossier. “If she said this, it seems to me she is not informed. We gave her an extensive briefing before she visited Moscow, and I think she has received comprehensive information, everything which is relevant to address the crisis in Agrokor. We are in a kind of a hybrid media war involving many actors,” said Prime Minister Plenković.
Asked if Agrokor’s owner Ivica Todorić, for whom an international arrest warrant has been issued, would return to Croatia, Plenković that this was a justice system issue. “I have said that I will not comment on this process at all. We are doing everything lawfully, in line with the best economic interests, and we do not interfere with the activities of the police, the judiciary or the State Attorney’s Office,” concluded Plenković.
Translated from 24sata.hr.
